Deerfield Island Park: The Boat-Only Island Most Visitors Drive Right Past

Here is the short answer. Deerfield Island Park is a 53 acre island in the Intracoastal Waterway at Hillsboro Boulevard, and the only way on is by boat. Broward County runs a free shuttle from the mainland every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. There is no gate fee. The island is closed Monday through Thursday, closed on Christmas Day, and pets are not allowed. It reopened in June 2025 after about two years closed, with new accessible pathways, a restored boardwalk and a butterfly garden. Plan it as a quiet two or three hour morning, then head to the beach. Every hour, fee and rule below came from Broward County's own park page, checked this week.

We are Brad and Justina, founders of Yours Truly Hospitality. We manage vacation homes across Southeast Florida, including in Deerfield Beach, and our guests ask us for something to do that is not the beach or a restaurant. This island is one of our favorite answers, because almost nobody driving over the Hillsboro bridge knows it is there.

What the Island Actually Is

Broward County calls it "our only island park," and describes it as a nature refuge rich in regional history, flora and fauna. It sits in the Intracoastal just off Hillsboro Boulevard, between the mainland and the barrier island where Deerfield's beach and pier are.

There is no bridge and no parking lot. You cannot drive onto it or walk onto it. That one fact is why it stays quiet on the same Saturday the beach is full.

The county lists the amenities as a boat dock, a small marina, a nature trail, a picnic area, a pollinator garden and restrooms. That is the whole menu. Nothing on the list is a concession stand, a rental shack or a lifeguarded beach. Treat it like a nature walk with a boat ride on each end.

How to Get There: the Free Shuttle

The county page says a free shuttle runs from the mainland every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Island hours match: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on those three days, and closed Monday through Thursday.

When the park reopened in 2025, the local paper reported that the shuttle leaves from Sullivan Park at 1633 Riverview Road in Deerfield Beach. The county's own page does not name the departure point, so call the park line at 954-357-5100 before you go and confirm two things: where the boat is leaving from that day, and what time the last boat comes back off the island.

A few practical notes:

• Aim for the 10 a.m. boat. You get the coolest part of the day on the trails and the full window on the island.

• Ask the captain about the return schedule when you land. The window is short, and the last trip back is the one you do not want to miss.

• Bring water and snacks. The county's amenity list has no food or drink on the island.

• Leave the dog at home. The county lists the park as no pets allowed.

If you have your own boat, the county lists a boat dock and marina on the island. Check with the park office on docking rules before you plan around it.

What You Will Walk Through

The reopening in June 2025 came after roughly $1 million of work, according to the local paper's report on the opening weekend. The highlights it described:

• A mangrove boardwalk that runs through the mangroves along the island's edge. This is the best part of the visit. It is shaded, close to the water, and quiet.

• About 2,500 feet of new rubberized pathways built to be accessible, plus a restored 1,800 foot walkway with new boards and handrails.

• A butterfly and pollinator garden of about 1.25 acres, planted with hundreds of native trees and plants and signed with tactile panels on insect life cycles.

• Renovated restrooms, new interpretive signs and benches, plus an accessible dock.

One thing to know: at the 2025 reopening, the Coquina Trail was still closed while the county studied resurfacing it. If you read an older guide that sends you down the Coquina Trail, ask the ranger whether it has reopened before you plan on it.

The island is also a designated gopher tortoise refuge, according to that same 2025 report. If you see one, give it room and keep to the paths.

Pack bug spray. This is a mangrove island, and the boardwalk is at its best when you are not swatting.

The Al Capone Backstory

This is the part guests love. According to the history recounted at the 2025 reopening, the island began as a spoil bank, land built up from material dredged out of the Intracoastal. Al Capone bought it in 1930 as a getaway. His arrest in 1932 ended those plans, and the property later passed to public hands over unpaid taxes. It became Deerfield Island Park in 1955.

The story is the draw. It makes the boat ride across a lot more fun to explain to kids.

How Long to Plan, and What Pairs With It

Two to three hours on the island is plenty for most people. The boardwalk, the garden and a slow loop of the pathways fill a morning without rushing.

Because the island closes at 3 p.m., it pairs naturally with an afternoon somewhere else:

• The beach and pier. Deerfield's pier and the beach are a short drive east over the Hillsboro bridge. We wrote a full guide to that day, including pier rates and parking, in A Day in Deerfield Beach.

• Lunch on the water. Our team's guest guides for Deerfield point people to Whale's Rib and JB's on the Beach for seafood near the ocean.

• Dinner in Boca. For a more dressed up evening, our team sends guests a short drive south to Mizner Park in Boca Raton.

When to Go

The weekday closure is the main thing to plan around. If your trip is Monday to Thursday, the island is not an option, so build it into a Friday or weekend morning.

The cooler months are the easiest time to enjoy the trails, since the walk is mostly in the open apart from the mangrove boardwalk. In summer, take the first boat, carry more water than you think you need, and keep an eye on the sky. Afternoon storms can move in quickly over the Intracoastal, and a boat ride in lightning is not part of anyone's plan.

The Short Checklist

• Island open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Free shuttle every hour in that window. Confirm the departure point at 954-357-5100.

• No gate fee. No pets. Closed Christmas Day.

• Bring water, snacks, sunscreen and bug spray.

• Ask the captain for the last return trip when you land.

Where to Base Yourself

The island rewards guests who are staying close, because the boat window is short and the best boat is the early one. Being ten minutes away instead of an hour away is the difference between catching the 10 a.m. trip and catching the last one.

That is the same idea behind how we run the homes we manage: remove the small decisions before a guest has to make them, so the day goes the way it should. If you want a base on this stretch of coast, have a look at our South Florida vacation homes.